St Nicholas of Myra

Catholic Parish 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

9 February 2020

* Tel: (02) 4721 2509 * Website: www.stnicholasofmyra.org.au * P O Box 1868, Penrith 2751

MASS & LITURGY TIMES Saturday Mass 9.00am Healing Mass 9.00am (1st Sat of the month) Reconciliation 9.30am-10.30am & 5pm-5.45pm Adoration After Saturday Morning Mass Filipino Mass 11.00am (1st Sat of the month) Vigil Mass 6.00pm Sunday Mass 7.00am, 8.30am 10.00am (Children’s Liturgy during School term) 6.00pm Weekday Monday 9.30am Tuesday 6.45am 9.30am Wednesday 9.30 am 7.00pm (followed by Adoration) Thursday 9.30am Friday 6.45am 12.10pm

Baptisms & Marriages by appointment only. Please contact the Parish Office .

PARISH OFFICE Office Hours 9am - 5 pm

Lunch 1pm – 1.30pm (Office closed) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

PARISH STAFF Parish Priest: Fr Joe Manjaly joe@stnicholasofmyra.org.au Asst Priest: Fr Jobi Payyappilly joby@stnicholasofmyra.org.au Office Manager: Jacinta Paulo enquiries@stnicholasofmyra.org.au Admin Assistant: Mary Goh reception@stnicholasofmyra.org.au Sacramental Coordinator: sacramental@stnicholasofmyra.org.au Mary Gale Monday & Wednesday only Catechists: Fred Keuneman catechist@stnicholasofmyra.org.au Volunteer Admin Support: Margaret Cobden & Ursula Gomez bulletin@stnicholasofmyra.org.au

PARISH EMERGENCY NUMBER: 4732 3039

Nepean Hospital Chaplain: Fr Porathur Joy (PJ) Deacon: Wilfredo (Willy) Limjap RCIA Coordinators: Ina & Norm Heffernan inanorm@optusnet.com.au Ph: 4732 1751 PARISH SCHOOLS St Nicholas Primary Principal : Ms Anita Knezevic Ph; 4752 3300 St Mary Mackillop Primary Principal : Mr Scott Buchan Ph; 4724 3200

Today’s gospel tells us that religion for the Christian is not a private affair. It is meant to improve the lives of others. We are much more conscious today that too much salt in our diet can raise blood pressure, harden arteries, and lead to strokes and heart attacks. Yet, even dieti-tians and scientists agree that we need some salt intake. As anyone who listens to George and Gary on ‘MasterChef’ knows, good food needs seasoning. Of course, a little bit goes a long way. It is all about the right balance. As even a tiny amount of salt makes a world of differ-ence, and as even a small lamp brings light to a dark room, so a small amount of Christianity in action brings benefit to our world.

Faith is to benefit others. True, it is not to be shoved down someone else’s throat, but we must demonstrate the power of the Spirit. How do we bring the light into the darkness of our world? Third Isaiah (an anonymous prophet who was active in the years after Israel’s exile) tells us: whenever we share our bread with the hungry, then we are a light in the darkness; whenever we shelter the homeless poor, then we are the salt of the earth; whenever we clothe the naked poor, then we are (again) a light in the darkness; and when-ever we bring hope to the oppressed, then we are (again) the salt of the earth. Our faith is not to be hidden away, it is to be used for the benefit of those in need.

Yet, it is all about balance. Elsewhere in the gospels Jesus warns us not to parade our good deeds before others. St Augustine of Hippo explains the difference between parading our good deeds before others and doing good deeds for others. It is all about giving the praise to our Father in heaven. Augustine says (Sermo 54), ‘So when a person is seen by all to do good , his conscience should be prompted by the intention to do good, but not by any intention of getting well known for it, except for the praise of God and the advantage of those who get to know about it’.

So today let us thank our God for those people who share their faith with others, for those people whose love of God helps them make a difference for the better in our world. Let us thank God for those who are the salt of the earth and for those who are the light of the world. Let us thank God for those whose public faith does not oppress others but helps them, for those whose public faith is not for their own glory but for the benefit of their neighbour and for the glory of God.

~ Geoffrey D. Dunn - Liturgia 2020

Due to Coronavirus, please note that there is a directive

from the Diocese of Parramatta and the NSW Depart-

ment of Health to adhere to the following instructions

during Mass until further notice.

• During the invitation to greet each other the ‘sign

of the peace’ please avoid shaking hands.

• There will be no distribution of the Precious

Blood during the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

• Therefore, there is no need for extra Ministers of

Communion at this time.

Thank you for understanding.

PARISH OUTREACH

Please pray for Antony, Angelina & Sienna Abdallah, Ve-ronique Sakr, Patrick Dugan, Romano Garofali, Flordeliza Lebanz, Albert Thomas Palmer, Fr Anto Pudusserry, Jose Simeon and Nicolas Timtim who died recently and for Ger-ald Barnes, Primotivo Cortes, Edward Dibdib, Domenic DiMunno, Conrad Marks and Varghese whose anniver-saries occur at this time and for Joe & Mary Pace, Minunni & Stella Mintoff, Bernard & Norah Wilding, Tania Felice and all souls in Purgatory. Please also pray for the sick: Miri Galich, Alessandro Gutierrez, Arlene Sucaldito, Amado Mendoza.

SACRAMENTAL PROGRAM

First Reconciliation 2020

Preparation for the Sacrament of First Reconciliation at St Nicholas of Myra Parish will be in Term 1.

To be eligible for First Reconciliation, children must be in year 3 or above and must be baptised.

Parents wishing to enrol their children in the program must attend an information meeting, which will be at St

Nicholas of Myra Church on

Tuesday 25th February 2020 at 7.00pm.

Further information regarding the pro-gram will be given at this meeting. If your child has not been baptised, and you wish to enrol them in the program, please con-tact our Sacramental Coordinator, Mary

Gale, as soon as possible.

Hospital & Nursing Home Masses

Governor Phillip Manor 1st Wednesday of each month at 2p.m.

Mountain View Village 1st Friday of each month at 10a.m.

Nepean Hospital every Friday at Midday

Summit Care (Jamison Gardens) 3rd Wednesday of each month at 10.30a.m.

Newmarch Nursing Home 3rd Tuesday of each month at 10.30a.m.

Edinglassie Lodge 10.30 a.m. 1st Tuesday in March, May, July, Sept, November

Lemongrove Gardens 10.30 a.m. 1st Tuesday in Feb, April, June, August, October, December

FAREWELL TO OUR PILGRIMS

We farewell 42 pilgrims from our Parish that will travel to the

Holy Land this coming week with Fr Joe. They will return on

the 3rd of March.

COME JOIN OUR SENIORS CHOIR

We now have a Seniors Choir. Please come join us on the

4th Sunday of every month at the 10am Mass. Praise God in

Song! Our next engagement is on the 23rd of February at

10am.—Br David

THE ALTAR SOCIETY ROSTER

The roster for Mar—September is available for pick up in the

Sacristy.

CHILDREN’S LITURGY

Children's Liturgy will resume on Sunday the 9th February at

the 10am Mass. If you wish to assist in Children’s Liturgy,

please contact the Parish Office.

BOOKINGS FOR PMR1, 2 & THE HALL

If you wish to book a meeting space for your group or choir.

Please send an email through to

enquiries @stnicholasofmyra.org.au.

These spaces are also available for Hire for other Lay Catholic

& community groups to enquire please contact the Parish

Office.

PRAYER FOR THOSE AFFECTED BY BUSHFIRE AND DROUGHT:

Eternal God, In wisdom and love you created our earth to sustain us and give us life. We turn to you now in

faith, hope and love, asking you to look with favour

on our fire-ravaged and drought-stricken land, on our starving and displaced animals,

on our failing crops and burning farms, towns and for-ests. Strengthen, sustain and give new heart

to our farmers and to all who are affected by drought; be with those who support them.

Strengthen and comfort the victims of the fires, those who have lost family, friends, property and stock.

Protect our volunteer firefighters and all members of essential services.

In your loving providence, send abundant rain to quench the fires and to restore

our parched earth. Father of all compassion, hear our prayer through Jesus Christ your Son,

in whom the promise of new life has dawned, and through the power

of the Holy Spirit, the Lord the giver of life:

Renew your faithful people; Renew the face of the earth.

Our Lady of the Southern Cross, Mary, help of Chris-tians Pray for us.

St Mary of the Cross MacKillop Pray for us

Prayer Groups Divine Mercy Holy Hour see Church Notice Board for dates and times 4733 4274 (John & Helen). Legion of Mary Meeting is every Saturday at 10.30 am in PMR1. Divine Mercy, Holy Rosary & Scripture - Sunday 9 Febru-ary, 2020 3—5.30 pm All backgrounds - most welcome to unite and pray with Mother Mary. Contact Steffi Sequeira - 0436 395 763 or email steffi.parry.sequeira@gmail.com Rosary Statue will be in the home of Michael & Vicky Taylor at 81 Elizabeth Crescent, Kingswood.

PARISH OUTREACH / DIOCEAN OUTREACH

PLENARY COUNCIL NEWS LISTENING AND DISCERNMENT SESSION You are invited to attend a Listening and Discern-ment session on the 13th February at the Institute for Mission| 1-5 Marion Street, Blacktown starting at 6.30pm – 9.00pm. At this session we will be cover-ing the six themes for discernment:

• Missionary and Evangelising

• Inclusive, participatory and synodal

• Prayerful and Eucharistic

• Humble, healing and merciful

• A joy, hope-filled and servant community Open to conversation, renewal and reform At this session you will have the opportunity to se-lect and explore one of these themes. Could you please advise your attendance to tan-ya.quinn@parracatholic.org ASAP. ***Light supper will be provided***

DELEGATES FOR THE PLENARY COUNCIL The Bishop is calling for Expressions of Interest for two (2) delegates from the ‘presbyters and others of Christ’s faithful’ to send to Melbourne to participate in formation. For more information please go to www.parracatholic.org

PARISH ROSTER 15/16 FEBRUARY 2020 Due to the Coronavirus there will be no precious blood distributed, until further notice. Therefore, there is no

need for additional Extraordinary Ministers of Eucharist. Please be mindful that only 4 people are required at this

time, which includes the priest and the Acolytes. [VIGIL] Acolytes : J. Buttigieg, D. Wellfare

Altar Servers : Volunteer Needed Comm. Rep : S. Falleiro Reader : J. Hogan Eucharist Ministers: Please see the above note. Music: ÁMEN Choir AV: T. & M. Perera

[7.00 A.M] Acolytes : A. Ruzgas

Altar Server : G. Grady Comm.Rep : H. Ryan Reader: A. Johnson Eucharist Ministers: Please see the above note. AV : N. Davie

[8.30 A.M] Acolytes : J. Simeon, R. Wood

Altar Servers : L. & E. Loughlan-Larsen Comm. Rep : S. VonBock Reader : E. Isaaks Eucharist Ministers : Please see the above note. Music: Jeff Mizzi AV: Nicole

[10.00 A.M] Acolytes : J. Jordan, J. Relunia

Altar Servers : D. Dawson, W. Ezekiel, A. Joseph Comm. Rep : S. Sequeira Reader : Alan Johnson Eucharist Ministers : Please see the above note. Music: BNP Chapter AV: R. Wilson

[6.00 P.M] Acolytes : V. Graham, S. Aish

Altar Servers : A. Aish, T. Keane Comm. Rep : F. Jackson Reader: N. Joseph Eucharist Minsters : Please see the above note. Music : Adrian Catt AV : V. Rodrigues

Community of Risen Christ invites you all to attend an in-spiring Lenten Reflection by Br Colin Calmiano, founder of Spread your Wings-Leadership institute, India, serving as a full time lay catholic evangelist for past 28 years.

Date: 26/02/2020 Ash Wednesday, Time: 7:30 - 9PM, Venue:

Main Church Hall at St Nicholas of Myra Church. Topic: Person

and Work of the Holy Spirit. Come with family and friends.

Contact Steffi Sequeira - 0436 395 763

Happy 80th Birthday to Eva Lusch (Sat 8 Feb)

Thank you for the prayers for Fr Joe’s mother, she is recover-

ing well.

LENTEN GROUPS

Lenten Groups will commence on Mondays at 7pm on Mar 02.

Books are available for sale at $10 each available next week.

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